What Direction Will a Motorcycle Travel When Exiting a Van Moving at 100mph?

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In summary, there is a picture of a van traveling forwards at 100mph and a motorcycle being ridden forwards out of the van at 20mph off a ramp. The conversation discusses the direction the bike will be traveling in as it leaves the ramp, with some people believing it will travel in the same direction as the van and others thinking it will immediately travel in the opposite direction. It is also mentioned that the bike will eventually come to a stop and start traveling in the opposite direction as the van under its own power. The discussion also brings up the potential for a crash and questions whether the bike's wheels are free to change speed or if the rear wheel is hard driven by an engine. In summary, the bike will
  • #1
tedmagnum
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Settle an argument please !

Look at the picture. The van is traveling forwards at 100mph.

A motorcycle is ridden forwards out the van, off a ramp at 20mph.

1) what direction will the bike front wheel be traveling as it leaves the ramp.
2) What direction will the whole bike be traveling as it rolls of the ramp
3) What direction will the bike be traveling at when both wheels exit the ramp.

I believe the front wheel will hit the tarmac, skid to a stop then start traveling in the same direction as the van wheels.

As the rear wheel exits the van, it will also skid to a halt and also start turning at at the same direction as the van wheels. The bike then will be traveling in reverse, in the same direction as the van until it comes to a stop, then will start traveling in the opposite as the van under its own power.

I think you would have to leave the ramp at more than 100mph to make the bike be travel immediatly in the opposite direction as the van.

Others think the bike will travel in the opposite direction as the van as soon as it exits the van if the bike is traveling at 20mph.

please ignore the potential to crash etc !

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7961/vanju9.jpg
 
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  • #2
Depends. Are the bike's wheels free to change speed (are they freewheeling at the moment of contact with the road)? Or is just the front wheel free to change speed (with a chirp), but the rear wheel is hard driven at 20mph by an engine?
 
  • #3
Reminds me of KITT coming out of the service truck on Knight Rider. :biggrin: I always wondered how many tires they burned through on that show.
 
  • #4
when you say 20mph, do you mean with respect to the van, or with respect to the ground?
 
  • #5
The bike exits the van at 80mph going backwards, in the same direction as the van, a crash will soon follow.
 
  • #6
Lets assume the bike is free wheeling. The initial velocity of the bike will be 80 mph in the direction the truck is traveling. The tires will at first skid, then reverse their direction of rotation from 20 mph counter clockwise to clockwise in the direction of travel. Losses will be due to friction and the energy required to accelerate the wheel mass in the opposite direction until they catch up with the road surface. I would guess the bike would end up traveling around 70 mph in the direction of the truck. At 100 mph, the bike would basically come to a dead stop
 

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